einstein and avocado

i seem to have a continual script running through my mind the last couple of weeks.
between endless hours at work, managing tasks at home, the urge to be creative, the endless to-do list that continually compounds....  and all the other minor thoughts that run through my mind....
i'm having trouble balancing everything.
last week was especially challenging for me.

marriage is a wonderful blessing.
simply put -- there is always someone on your team.
unfortunately i feel as though it was one of the weeks where we were looking out for ourselves and didn't team up to take on the world.
it happens.
maybe in my exhaustion and selfishness i wasn't aware of something that mitch was dealing with,
or i was simply focused on myself and needed all the attention on me.
for whatever the case... it was a challenge.
and those seem to be the times that a good cry and a verbal vomit are a necessity.



on a completely different note --
i picked up my pigs on monday.
they are a york and hampshire cross.
boy and girl - einstein and avocado.
14 weeks old and rather shy so far.
these darling little pigs smell like old people and salty play dough.
i adore avocado's speckled bum and her timid way.
einstein is quite the little man.

a few things i've learned about pigs --
1) they are not soft like dogs or calves....
2) they are a solid animal... not one meant to be snuggled
3) so far they are not in love with human interaction.... {which will make it easier to raise for dinner}
4) again - they smell like old people and salty play dough and their poops look like my doggy poops.
5) they absolutely love tomatoes.

once again i'm grateful for a grandpa who is allowing me to try on the farm girl boots.
i'm loving every minute of it {so far}

my hour

work is consuming my days and by the time i get home in the evenings i'm exhausted. it can be challenging to balance all the needs of the day, home, work, etc etc...

but waking up when my alarm goes off at 7 and enjoying a little peace and quiet time by myself is absolutely vital. listening to the neighborhood come alive. letting the boys have as many potty breaks as needed. browsing through my phone or the internet, or simply watching the birds play in my front flower beds. i never would have pegged myself as a morning person.... but the 7 o'clock hour is easily one of my favorite. just me and the 2 snowballs that happen to be sleeping at my feet for the moment.

half way through the year

june has slipped away and this morning it's july
once again it's crazy how fast time flies

celebrating mitchel's birthday
a trip to zions
backyard fires
snuggles with the boys
good mail days
work is slowing down but filled with weeding, chickens and the occasional spider
dr visits
starting my gherkins... better late than never
welcomed our beautiful niece into our lives and kissing her goodbye as abby moves her family to AZ

dreams of the future
desires of my own little farm

my birthday just around the corner
25 was so good to me.

out with the old and in with the new

i realized yesterday as i was wiping my iphone clean... i hadn't downloaded pictures from it since last may. it kind of baffled me. looking back, life had treated really well over the past year. apparently we've been living life and enjoying it. i'm glad i got the chance to glance through those pictures from all those months. what a perfect reminder of all the good.

the reason for wiping the iphone clean and turning it back to factory settings.... we made the switch to a new phone provider and picked up new phones while we were at it. we don't want to make much of a political statement about it, but when news broke that the goverment is requiring all verizon's customers phone records... it makes us uncomfortable. not that we have anything to hide. we just value our freedoms and have no desire to have anyone snooping around in our phone records.

who doesn't love a reason to upgrade though? ;) galaxy 4s - yes please. holy smokes it kicks our old phones tushes! goodbye 3g and helloooo 4g! it's amazing how fast technology improves!! and the 13mp camera on the galaxy--- amazing!!!! the above photos are from my new sidekick. i'm kind of in love.

snapshots from May

i'm realizing how consuming life has been lately. i wouldn't have it any other way. work is busy and filled with plants, customers and everyday tasks. mitch has been adjusting to a new branch at work. he's closer to home. he has been excelling lately and i'm so proud of his hard work. we celebrated ashley and brendon's wedding earlier this month. i've attempted yard work and projects when evenings allow. mitch spent last saturday patching our roof with new shingles. his sweet parents came and helped him. hopefully this patching job with put off the need to re-roof for another year or two. we built a fire pit for the back yard. we plan on spending many summer nights out there. there is something memorizing about a campfire. cezar is a perfect little lap buddy. he sits with me and enjoys the warmth of the fire and watching the flames dance. there seems to be so many things that haven't been noted this past month. i treasure this little space of mine as it helps me remember all the adventures and happenings we living. perhaps as things are slowing down for the summer at work, i'll be able to spend a little more time capturing our daily lives here.

my momma was right.... journaling/writing down our history as it happens is a treasure. i may be a little sad that i haven't been as consistent with it lately.

is it sunday yet?

the weather has been dreamy this week.
sunday evening after i woke up from my nap i took my bike out for her first ride
it was amazing

monday night we went shopping for new furniture.
{thank you tax return}

tuesday we had a movie night with joe and alyson.
i think the boys finally made friends with aspen.
cezar needed a little convincing....
but jake and aspen came to terms with each other :)

wednesday night we join joe and alyson for a trip to the home goods store in murray.
mitch and i were on the hunt for curtains.
we are finally putting some 'cozy' touches on our home.
we managed to find a set of curtains we liked
but once we got home we realized that they weren't wide enough

thursday after work we attempted to shop for more curtain panels
we struck out at ross but did find some curtain rods that were perfect
luck was on our side though at wally world and we found the perfect ones to pair with our first finds.
our couches were delivered earlier in the afternoon and with the curtains....
the living is looking really cozy and perfect.
we are in love

friday i was determined to spend the evening at home and relax.
work has been demanding this week
a crazy amount of shipments arriving and plants that are waiting for me to get around to planting...
i'm the only full time employee in the store right now... i'm relying on part time staff to help cover....
i have an fabulous staff but it's hard to get everything done that i need too
anyways... i came home to mitch cooking dinner {thank you sweetheart}
curling up on the couch and relaxing was the perfect way to start the weekend...

baby plants with a healthy dose of caffeine

personality is a gift

character is a victory

hello wednesday

waking up this morning was a minor challenge.

i'm exhausted but know this is just the beginning of the spring busy season

laying in bed earlier i realized all the plants that will be arriving this week...

more than i originally recalled.

honestly it's just fine.

this truly is my most favorite season 

especially with receiving all my baby plants

grateful for the sunshine and some caffeine to get me going...

my dreams have been rather vivid the past few nights

perhaps that is contributing to my sleepiness

last night i attended a training dinner put on by our garden wise distributors.

i  was excited to see my staff all attend. 

hopefully they learned some things that will benefit our customers 

and i won't be the only one answering questions 

this season really will be awesome

a little bit of february

february is almost over and it seems like yesterday was the first.
it's been a wonderful and full month so far.
i spend every day at work and barely squeeze an hour or two off right now.
on the bright side i truly love my job.

we are attempting to get into a solid work out routine and improve our nutrition.
p90x is quiet the program and we'll need to work into it {that's for sure}
it does feel good getting into healthier habits.
however we have had quiet the week of indulgence....
who could resist with valentine's day and brunch with close friends
and meeting up for dinner with them before a chick flick last night.
alyson and i decided we need to 'practice' girl's night... because the boys tagged along.
i suppose that might be the case for the rest of our lives.... partly because mitch and joe are like brothers.

spring is starting to tease us.
and my flower beds at home are showing signs of life.
i seriously can't wait for the days to lengthen and for it to gradually get warmer.
my life needs more color and the garden is the ultimate source

we said goodbye to the jeep
{what a nightmare of a story}
and i now inherit the hybrid and mitch is driving his {current} dream vehicle - a big bad truck.
{oddly enough} i already love it.
comfortable, smooth ride and huge cab - with plenty of room for the boys.
i strongly believe that dogs should never ride in a truck bed!

next friday is the first of March
and it's the beginning of my most favorite month.
{i'm crossing my fingers the snakes stay out of my greenhouse}
the greenhouse will quickly fill with all my 'baby' plants and my soul will be happy.
and my body will be tired.... in a good way.

12 of 12 February

so it's been awhile since i've sat down and spent some time here in my space. work is keeping me busy. i spent everyday there minus sunday. i am able to sneak out an hour or two early once or twice a week. mitch is enjoying his new job at wells fargo. lucky for us, his branch is next to the mall and we've been able to enjoy lunch together a couple of times so far. i like being able to see him during the day. 12 of 12 came quickly and i remembered to keep my camera on hand...

1: waking up and checking email and facebook
2: cezar continues to be my little buddy and spends the mornings by my side
3: it's time to drag the vacuum upstairs and de-hair the bed. cezar is shedding a ridiculous amount lately
4: mitch and i started the p90x program and have been enjoying quality breakfasts.
5: my valentine flowers came early. mitch gave me another orchid :) someday i'll have a gorgeous collection of rooted flowers. i prefer it this way... i am able to enjoy them far longer than a week with a cut bouquet
6: planting some more micro greens at work to showcase our mini greenhouse with lights
7: pulling out the calender, scheduling, taking notes and making sure everything is getting checked off
8: i transplanted the rest of our hot pepper starts. i can't wait to harvest such spicy goodness this summer
9: greenhouse #1 is filling up with flats of pansies, perennial starts and onions. i'm counting down the days until i claim the space for all my premium annuals :)
10: sneaking out of work two hours early
11: seeing signs of life and flowers in my beds at home. spring is stirring in the ground
12: day 2 of p90x

what i didn't capture with my camera --
-my mother in law Susan took me out to lunch. i enjoyed spending time with her and catching up. it's agreed that we need to do that more often.
-being able to meet up with my poppy, aunt val and grandpa taylor. they had a rough day taking care of aftermath details of their car accident monday night. seeing doctors for a consult on my grandpa's neck. i'm glad i was able to see them and enjoy time with them even though it was short.

thanks for the memories 2012

2012 was quite the year for us. i had high expectations and gratefully the year did not disappoint. it really was my year.

january started out a bit rough.... mitch and i stayed home and rung in the new year playing games and spending time together. cezar injured his leg somehow new years eve and wouldn't use it. actually he could barely walk. a trip to the vet on monday showed no serious injury and seems to have sprained it somehow.  the jetta died on us at the car show mid january and we got lucky with an incredible deal on the Z. i also found out that i had mono on top of being hypothyroid.

february things started to swing upwards for me. i was still feeling the effects of mono and was learning how to deal with my health limits. we celebrated valentines and i managed to surprise mitch with a car full of ballons and a few gift cards to the car wash and his favorite smoothie place. work was showing all the signs of spring. which is undoubtedly my favorite time of year there. grandma holdaway was struggling with her health and we thought we were going to lose her. i was able to extend myself and help out at the house with her and grow to love her in a whole new capacity. i also started practicing yoga and it brought a new balance and happiness to my life.

march. all my spring shipments started arriving. i was feeling a bit better health wise. i located some darling baby silkie chicks which started my desire to have chickens. mitch and i finally conquered our main wall and painted over the not so lovely nutmeg color.

april i tackled more than i could handle. i was busy in the greenhouse trying to keep on top of everything. amy texted me to see if i'd be interested in helping her out again with the boys. i absolutely wanted to do so and figured out a way to squeeze her into my schedule. mitch was hesitant and i felt like i could be superwoman...... i quickly realized that 50+ hour weeks weren't going to be in my favor and that the garden center needed my full attention. not to mention i felt like i was taking way too many steps backwards in my health.

may. the busiest month of the year for me. april showers bring may flowers... and mother's day brings out all our customers. i managed to get my garden started and spent as much time with the boys as i could.

june. we celebrated mitch's birthday. spent time with friends and family. i was finally feeling on top of the world health wise {as much a possible} i was started to enjoy the first of my garden harvest. we squeezed a few hikes in with the boys. abby had my take her and russell's engagement photos too.

july was a busy month for us. we started out celebrating my birthday and having an adventure down in zion's subway. nanna joined us on our vacation along with mom and dad dayley and ashley and brendon. abby and russell got married on the 14th. plus we survived all the smoke in the air from the many many wildfires.

august i was thrilled with being able to harvest lots of goodies from my garden. we added a few new toys to the household - mitch got his fourwheeler and i in turn got a camera upgrade :) we attended the salt lake city farmers market. i got to being the 'photographer' for my cousins wedding. plus we managed to fit in a boating trip with joe and his girlfriend. on top of everything... i seemed to be the only employee that was able to work that month. everyone one had vacations and previous engagements.

september we celebrated cezar's 2nd birthday. made a day trip to idaho to surprise grandpa hatch for his 80th birthday and visit my grandpa taylor. harvest season was in full swing and i finally got to taste the joy of digging in the garden for the potato harvest. it's like a treasure hunt. finally manged to get back into the swing of yard work. the summer heat had taken it's toll on me and the yard. plus we had a overnight camp trip to the dunes with joe and alyson. it was quite the adventure sleeping under the stars, joe burning his hand on the camp ring and a fox sneaking into camp. it was the perfect little getaway.

october came and so did pumpkinland. the 2nd busiest season for me. {a double dose of birth control} our theme was alice in pumpkinland which was by far the most favorite from all the years. we also made an unexpected trip to idaho to be with family with grandma dayleys passing. we were grateful we made it in time to say goodbye. mitch was also studying for his 66 license exam. gratefully he passed even with all the current challenges. we also celebrated our 3rd anniversary. worked on conquering my fears of snakes and scary movies and haunted houses.... i'm better than i was. and we also traded in the Z for a hybrid. the Z was allergic to snow and we are old people now and enjoy the comfort of a full sized car ;)

november brought new changes to work. sanna left and i became the manager. there was a lot of clean up from pumpkinland to be done and getting ready for the holiday season. yay poinsettias. we went shooting with abby, russell and nanna. i got to try out my new gun. and it was a perfect way to dispose of some excess pumpkins. and of course we celebrated thanksgiving with the people we love the most.

and last but not least december. we had beautiful weather for most of the month. i managed to plant garlic around the 7th. i also got to take abby and russell's christmas photos/we are having a baby pictures. after 3 years of marriage we finally made it to temple square with the dayley family. enjoyed a wonderful dinner and mom dayley said we should offically adopt nanna into the family since she is always joining in on our fun. plus i am tickled to say that we had the best poinsettias sells in the past many many years. at least in the 10 years i've been working. it feels good to see so few at the end of the holiday. we also enjoyed a very wonderful and blessed christmas with each other and our families. and i've finished the year out with the week off and enjoying time with the boys!

2012 had some ups and downs and some health challenges. but i'm so blessed and have truly felt like i have come into my own self. i have to declare that it is the best year yet!! i am sure that 2013 will be filled with it's own challenges and good moments but 2012 has been very good to me. i may just be a tiny bit sad to say good bye to it. thanks for all the memories this year... and here's to the next. may you be just as wonderful and fulfilling!

moments to remember

mitch fixing my favorite pair of flats as a sweet gesture

mitch filling my gas tank all the way full for me

sweet back rubs and snuggles all day yesterday

waking up to the heater kicking on

looking through pictures of jake as a puppy. oh the memories.

sleeping in 2 days in a row

taking a few moments to meditate and do some yoga

making my first cup of tea this season

decorating for fall

words of wisdom from my tea bag last night....

'appreciate yourself and honor your soul'

11 hours

i spent my entire day at work

it was a good day

i'm tired now and hungry

but i left feeling calm and happy 

i suppose that is the best i could ask for in such a long day :)

happy wednesday

and another 10-11 hr shift tomorrow